Young people in Leiston set to benefit from the launch of netball and boxing Satellite Clubs

Posted: Tue, 11 Dec 2018 15:20

Two satellite clubs have launched in Leiston with the aim of helping Suffolk youngsters to become more active.

The netball and boxing Clubs, aimed specifically at 14-19 year olds, are two of many satellite clubs across the county funded by the Satellite Club Project, supported and delivered by Suffolk Sport. The project was initially launched as part of Sport England's strategy 'Towards an Active Nation', with the aim of increasing the percentage of young people taking part in sport and/or physical activity at least twice a month.

Satellite clubs are designed to bridge the gap between school, college and community sport and focus specifically on the needs of the young people who attend them. They provide enjoyable and convenient opportunities for young people to get involved, and stay involved, in regular exercise. In particular, they are aimed at under-represented groups and since their introduction in 2013, have helped thousands of young people to get active.

The two clubs in Leiston were set up after a consultation with local young people identified their interest for netball and boxing clubs in the area.

Chloe Anderson, Suffolk Netball Development Officer said "It's fantastic to be able to bring netball to young females in the Leiston area, especially as it was the main sport identified by that age group. We have a fantastic facility and coach ready to lead each session and the project is supported by the Suffolk County Netball Association and Satellite Club Funding. I can't wait for the sessions to start and see the participants having fun, playing netball and developing their skills. Who knows, we could have a future Suffolk England Rose player coming through the ranks in the not too distant future?!"

Mike Chaplin is a Project Coordinator at Catch 22 Suffolk Positive Futures, an organisation that aims to transform young people's lives, prevent anti-social behaviour and reduce crime in local communities by providing free activities and social inclusion programmes for young people across Suffolk. Mike spoke about the satellite clubs and the impact that they can have: "Through support from Suffolk Sport and the Satellite Club funding, we are able to deliver a free boxing project for young people living in Leiston and the surrounding areas. The club will engage young people in a positive evening activity, increasing physical activity levels as well as general physical and mental health. The satellite clubs also improve community cohesion as young people are engaged in productive social activities rather than looking for 'alternative' ways to keep entertained. Our Friday night Football project in Leiston has proven that engaging young people in positive projects can have an impact on their lifestyle choices outside of the project."

So far, both clubs have been well attended and have proven to be very popular with the young community in Leiston. The first netball session received 24 participants and the club are very much hoping to sustain this level of engagement going forward.

Matt Smith, from Ultimate Boxing, also spoke about the success of the boxing club so far: "It was very pleasing to see 18 young people at the boxing session this week. The ages ranged from 11 to 16 years old and around a third of the participants were girls. They all paid attention and were extremely keen to not only learn boxing techniques, but also try their best at the harder fitness and core strength exercises.

When you ask a young group if they've enjoyed themselves, it's usually easy to tell if they are just telling you what they think you want to hear, but I felt that the response after the session at Leiston was genuinely positive. Many are looking forward to coming along again next week with some of their friends. We look forward to engaging more young people with busy boxing and fitness sessions going forward. Congratulations Leiston Satellite Boxing Club!"

Both clubs are held at the sports hall in Waterloo Centre in Leiston (previously Leiston Middle School) which has recently been reopened for community use. The netball satellite club takes place every Friday evening 5-7pm during term times. The sessions are split by age groups; 5-6pm is for 13-15yr olds and 6-7pm is for 16-19yr olds. The boxing club takes place every Wednesday evening between 6-7pm. Both clubs are welcome to all abilities, particularly beginners who have never taken part in the sport before and both are free to attend.